Devils acquire Timo Meier in trade to Sharks

The New Jersey Devils have acquired Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.

Meyer is a restricted free agent, with a qualifying offer of $10 million this summer. According to a source, the trade to New Jersey does not involve an extension, as the Devils plan to use Meyer as a “rent” and then explore the possibility of a long-term deal later.

Meyer has 31 goals and 52 points with a rebuilding team that was playing out of the series. San Jose was sidelined by head coach David Quinn on February 19 with an upper body injury and has not played since.

The Devils, who have made the playoffs only once since 2012 and have undergone a rebuild in recent years, are a year ahead of schedule, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told ESPN last month. With 83 points in 59 games, the Devils entered Sunday in second place in the Metropolitan Division, behind the Carolina Hurricanes.

According to sources, the Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights were the finalists in Meier’s talks. A source told ESPN that these teams were not given permission to speak with Meier’s agent, Claude Lemieux, about a possible extension.

Having a player on loan is against Fitzgerald’s typical philosophy of building his teams up over the summer. However, he wanted to take advantage of an exciting season in New Jersey to build momentum for the team’s future.

Meyer was one of the biggest names available ahead of the March 3 trade deadline because of his age (26) and the team’s control of San Jose he could sell to potential suitors.

“Everyone is talking to San Jose about Timo Meyer,” said one of the Eastern Conference during the All-Star break. “Everyone is watching him.”

The All-Star forward was the 9th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. In seven seasons with the Sharks, he topped 20 goals five times and 30 goals three times.

A native of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Meier offers a combination of size and speed; His 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame can often be found in front of the net, but he also has the ability to pick corners off standoffs and can be a classy partner for an elite puck center.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier is clearly looking ahead, but has been consistent throughout the season in his perception that Meyer’s deal could wait until the end of the season if the right off-season package didn’t materialize.

News of the trade was first reported by The Athletic.